Episode 10 MasterChef: The Professionals

These eight chefs all want to become professional MasterChef champion.

They've been split into two groups.

Today, the first four have to prove they're good enough to make it through to the next level.

Today, I need to prove myself. The competition is really serious.

I think I have a chance. I just want to go the furthest that I can.

Hopefully, go all the way.

I am very driven and really competitive. That's why I want to give it everything I've got.

I think I've got to just get my A-game on and just nail it, hammer on the head.

First, they will face Monica's infamous skills test.

You could use a bowl.

That's a complete write-off.

Yeah.

Then they finally get to face Michel Roux Junior and his classics challenge.

This could be the last time you are cooking in MasterChef.

This is high-end cooking.

At the end of today, one of them will be sent home.

Time for the skills test. I love this. I'm not sure the chefs do. What do you want them to do today?

Today, Gregg, I would like them to make us a savoury sabayon.

Not a sweet one like we normally see, but a savoury one,

-then use the sabayon to make a glaze for this seafood.

-What is a sabayon?

Normally, a sabayon is a sweet sauce. You see it with berries.

-How long have they got for this test?

-They've got ten minutes.

Right, show me a savoury sabayon and shellfish.

OK, I'm going to use a champagne. Open that up for me, please, Gregg.

Some egg yolks in my bowl.

-CORK POPS

-Ooh!

There we go. It's just going to give that acidity to it.

-Is there always alcohol in sabayon?

-Pretty much, yes.

-If you were to make a sweet sabayon, there would be sugar in this as well.

-That's a lovely texture.

-That's a bit like a hollandaise.

-Smell it.

-Champagne?

-Hmm!

-It's quite an energetic little task, isn't it, Monica?

-Oh, yes. Can you imagine making enough for 30 people?

Well, I'd use an electric whisk.

I'm going to add some whipped cream that I'm going to fold through.

So you don't need a lot.

OK? I'm going to flavour mine with horseradish.

I've finely grated it into my cream.

Now I'm going to prepare the seafood.

I'm going to use one of these scallops. A hot pan...

You sliced those scallops?

Yes, I did. You don't want to cook this too much cos it's going to glaze as well in the oven.

A little bit of butter.

-Some shrimps.

-Oh!

And a little bit of dill. And that's it, off the heat.

Very, very gently. OK?

I have my sabayon here. I want to add it to the cream.

A pinch of salt.

And that is going under the grill.

-How long?

-It should take about a minute.

They could clean their bench while they're waiting, ready to serve.

There you have it, Gregg.

I've used the sabayon to make you a seafood gratin.

Splendid.

Absolutely splendid.

Light and sweet, a gentle little bit of acidity

that matches that shellfish perfectly. Very flavoursome.

I think this is very challenging. I'm taking it for granted they know how to cook a scallop.

But the sabayon? That's skilful.

Shall we get our chefs out here?

-Let's see what they can do.

-Brilliant.

First up is 41-year-old army chef James.

Last round, he impressed with his crab tortellini, topped with some inventive, crispy aubergine skin.

I thrive off pressure. The stress and pressure, that's what makes me tick.

I've been a chef for a lot of years and, hopefully, I've seen most things,

but who knows what will be pulled out today?

What we want you to do now is make us a savoury sabayon.

Which you're going to use to gratinate or glaze this seafood.

-The grill is already on. OK?

-Mm-hm.

Ten minutes. Get cracking, chef.

Just to make sure, a sabayon to then glaze the fish.

I've had a mental block.

Let's go, James. Get a move on.

Oh, this is so simple. It should be.

Good. You're getting there.

Oh, I don't know what all that was about.

Right, keep a cool head. You've got time.

You're halfway.

Right, good.

-That's it.

-Right oh... The skin of your teeth, this one, isn't it?

And I think you've just about done it. Just about done it.

-How was that, James?

-I just froze. My brain just wasn't turning round.

-You had us worried for a while there.

-Not as much as I had me worried, trust me!

James, you've made us a glaze, but it's not a proper sabayon without the addition of the alcohol.

You opened the champagne, yet you didn't use it.

I knew what I wanted to do, but it just didn't happen.

You did get it in the oven, but because the yolks were not cooked properly,

it will souffle up and you get that scrambled egg texture to it once it's glazed, as you can see here.

Sure.

It's not what I'd expect to see if I ordered it, but I can see that it's getting there.

What I've actually got is a thick, set egg. It's turning into an omelette.

A sabayon, you want it very light, so it glazes golden under the grill,

yet when you dip into it, it's still quite runny underneath.

This is not what we have. You got flustered. The pressure really has come down on you today.

-You could have done without the first two minutes of absolute blind panic.

-Yeah, yeah, definitely.

-James, cheers, mate. Off you go.

-Thank you very much. Thanks, chef.

I don't know what to make of him now.

Aargh!

My brain just froze.

Literally, I was there and I was like...

I just... I don't know. It was just bizarre. It's never happened before.

It's annoying because I should have come out of that gleaming and I haven't. That's a worry.

Next is London-based Aline.

In the first test,

her crab and mango tian didn't live up to expectations.

Last time really freaked me out.

But I'll try to relax. I'm not going to have a panic attack in there.

What we want you to do is make us a savoury sabayon.

Use it to gratinate or to glaze this seafood,

using any of the ingredients here.

-Do you know how to make a sabayon?

-Yeah.

-So this should be a stroll in the park for you.

-I hope so.

-You've only got ten minutes. That's the only thing.

-Wow!

-Off you go.

You're halfway. You've got five minutes left, Aline.

You've got just two and a half minutes left.

-You've got a minute left.

-Right.

Finished.

-Aline, how did you find that?

-Hard.

-Did you understand what I wanted?

-I know what sabayon is. I just felt like I just got lost with the pressure and everything.

-OK.

-When making a sabayon, there shouldn't be any melted butter whisked through there.

-Yeah.

If I'd have ordered something with a glaze, I'd have expected it to be covered in it and then heated.

This is sitting in a sauce.

Aline, the hollandaise that you've made is quite salty.

The scallop, because it's so thick, the middle is still quite raw which is not pleasant at all to eat.

The whole dish is not working. If this had gone under the grill to gratinate,

-it would have finished cooking that scallop.

-Aline, thank you very much. Off you go.

I've never felt so much pressure before, to be honest.

I'm so confident about everything and that situation there, it was just hard for me to handle.

It's really important for me to improve to stay in the competition.

25-year-old Oli is a head chef of a Yorkshire pub.

His first dish, an experimental fish stew topped with a crab quenelle, was a disaster.

It is nerve-racking, people watching you, especially Monica and Gregg.

I'm quite experienced in what I'm doing. Hopefully, it'll be something I know how to do.

A savoury sabayon,

and then use that sabayon

to glaze any shellfish dish that you like.

-Are you comfortable with a sabayon?

-I don't know what it is, sorry, Gregg.

SHE CLEARS THROAT

-Have you made a hollandaise?

-Yeah.

-OK.

We want a savoury sabayon, so sort of similar, whisking,

-on a water bath, OK?

-Yeah.

-But very light.

-Then use it to gratinate the seafood, OK?

-OK.

You've got ten minutes. Your cook's instincts will have to take over. Off you go.

You could use a bowl if you want.

Oh... Oh!

Five minutes you've got left.

Two and a half minutes left.

Right, time up.

-How was that, Oli?

-Pretty nervous.

You didn't know how to make a sabayon, so a sabayon skills test was always going to be hard.

You did attempt to make one. You had the champagne in there and you were whisking away.

This was the right process, but then you started adding the melted butter which was not needed.

You had not whisked it enough. It was not cooked.

You must know as a chef that you could never send that out to the restaurant.

I can't eat that, I'm afraid, Oli. The scallop's raw.

And in the bottom of the bowl there is a sharp, lemon, champagne,

buttery, shrimp collection with raw shallot.

It's pretty rough, mate.

Oli, that's a complete write-off.

I don't mind underdone scallops, but that really is underdone.

Then my mouth is just awash with dill, even with the scallop.

I can forgive you not knowing how to make a sabayon if everything else on the plate was OK.

We've had many chefs wobble a bit at this stage because we know the skills test is very nerve-racking.

Thank you. Off you go.

Not knowing a sabayon is one thing. Not knowing how to cook a scallop is another.

It were pretty tough.

I didn't know what a sabayon was.

And just nerves as well as anything, I think.

I just feel like I haven't fulfilled my time here.

I just hope I get that chance to prove what I can actually do.

Last up is 25-year-old, junior sous-chef David

who stood out with an excellent crab mousse and mango chilli salsa.

I hope it's something I've already done

and if not, hopefully, my chef's brain will kick in.

Make us a savoury sabayon.

-You've got just ten minutes, though.

-Okey-dokey.

-Off you go.

How long do I have left?

-You've got about six minutes left.

-Six minutes left.

You've got a minute left.

-All done?

-Yeah.

I'm a bit annoyed that I didn't use the champagne.

It's a shame. Otherwise, it would have been perfect.

You've cooked the egg yolks. Adding that champagne, it would have been just right. You could've glazed it.

You've got some really nice things. I like the raw scallop underneath with lemon juice and dill.

And I love the crispy texture you've got on top of your scallop.

Had you added champagne, it would have given it a much lighter texture and it would have gratinated nicely.

-Yeah.

-Not bad. Go on, off you go.

I like him.

He needs to listen.

Overall, there was good comments.

It's just two little hiccups.

I think I'll be dreaming about that champagne.

I kept looking at it. That's why I'm kicking myself.

Are you surprised that not one of them actually knew how to make a sabayon properly?

I am surprised. Really surprised.

If these chefs are not going to pay attention to the classics, they have got some serious, serious issues.

For this classic recipe, I am cooking a petit pate de porc des Cevennes.

That is a pork pie with chestnuts and apple,

served with a few salad leaves and a traditional English salad cream.

And it's something that I simply adore cooking and eating.

The first job is to chop up the onions...

..that we'll cook quickly, and some garlic.

It is important to sweat off the onion and the garlic

and not to put it in raw to the mix.

If you do, it just... it's too harsh.

And thyme. Hmm!

It's cooked. I want it to cool down.

It's not got any colour and that's very important.

Now for the mixture for the actual filling of this pork pie.

There's some cooked ham which is going to add that real pork flavour.

Smoked bacon. This is the one we have to be very careful on.

Not too much. You just want a little hint of smokiness in there.

And then raw shoulder. That's going to give a little bit of fat.

We need the combination of all three and then we mince it down.

It smells lovely. It smells beautiful. To this, I add an egg

and really mix it up together.

The egg is going to hold it all together and bind this pie.

Now's the time to add the sweated off onion, thyme and garlic. It has to be cold when you mix it in.

If you don't mix it in cold, the fat is going to melt

and it's just not going to hold itself, it's not going to be nice.

Now we can assemble the pie.

Puff pastry...

A pork pie isn't traditionally made with puff pastry, but these are no ordinary pork pies.

Chestnuts go in whole because I want to see them when I cut into the pork pie.

Then a little bit more meat.

Finally, some apple.

Then I fold the edges over.

This is the ideal shape and size.

Very important is to egg-wash, so that we get a lovely golden colour.

And then decoration.

This is the traditional way of decorating a pithivier, which is an almond cake in puff pastry,

but I think it looks equally nice on a pork pie.

Now, in the oven...

To make the salad cream, it's sugar,

mustard powder,

malt vinegar and a bit of salt.

A bit of pepper.

And cream.

This is a long way away from the salad cream that you buy in a supermarket.

That's looking lovely. Time to plate up.

Salad cream...

Then just a few drops on the leaves themselves.

And there you have it - le petit pate de porc des Cevennes.

Oh, that is beautiful.

A pork pie with chestnuts and apple,

a few dressed leaves in a salad cream.

This is a pork pie with style,

but everything has to be executed perfectly for it to be a triumph.

Welcome back.

You've had your chance to cook for Monica.

But I've yet to see you cook.

Your chance to impress me.

For my classic recipe, I want you to cook a petit pate des Cevennes.

I have given you a basic recipe.

A list of ingredients. No more.

You should be able to get your head around it.

You have one hour to cook this great classic dish. Off you go.

I don't think I've shown the best of my abilities yet.

Nerves have been really bad, to be honest.

I've got to just really go at it now. I'm just going to give it 100%.

-Hi, Oli.

-Hi, chef.

-Pork pie - it's easy, isn't it?

-It's been a long time, but I've made one.

What's your background, Oli?

When I left school, my dad had a pub, I got thrown in the kitchen with my brother, doing gammon and eggs,

stuff like that, then it developed from there, really.

I'm now doing my own thing in a pub, going for high-end gastro food.

-What position are you holding down?

-Head chef.

-Head chef?

-Yeah.

-Ambitious?

-Really ambitious.

Hopefully, getting a few awards in the pub, a few rosettes maybe further down the line.

-Oli, excellent. Thank you.

-Thank you.

Oli has rolled out the puff pastry very, very thick.

That means that we're going to have a very soggy pastry.

He's put some mustard powder in the pork pie filling when the mustard powder was for the salad cream.

I think Oli just needs to calm down and read the recipe properly.

20 minutes gone, guys.

I wouldn't say I've shown my full potential yet.

I hope I can show Michel what I'm capable of doing.

-David, are you classically trained?

-I've done a couple of years in college,

-so, yeah, I could say I'm classically trained.

-Where are you working now?

I'm in Reading at the moment. It's a one-star.

-It's fine dining.

-You're working in a Michelin-starred establishment.

How did you come into this industry?

I wasn't doing that well in school.

I had a good relationship with one of my teachers.

-He asked me what I wanted to do. I said I enjoyed cooking. I've done the courses.

-Brilliant.

-I really enjoyed it.

-That's fantastic that somebody could point you in the right direction.

-Thank you, chef.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I like that steely look that David's got.

He's extremely calm and collected and focused.

I just hope he can deliver a beautiful pork pie.

To cook for Michel Roux Junior is just amazing.

Daunting as well.

Today, I've really got to make sure I go in there and nail it to the best of my ability.

-James, are you happy?

-Yes, chef, I am happy at the moment, yeah.

-So you understand the recipe?

-I think so, yeah.

-I've done sort of like a pithivier.

-A pithivier.

Like a pork pie pithivier.

That's a real French classic. Are you classically trained?

Yeah, college when I was 16. I did just under three years at college.

-That was only a few years ago(!)

-24 years ago now, chef, so I've been in it a long time, yeah.

-Yes. Why MasterChef?

-I'm 41 now. I love a challenge, I'm competitive,

so I want to compete and give the young ones a bit of a run for their money, try and keep up with them.

-I don't know about keep up with them. I reckon we're the leaders of the pack.

-Sounds good to me.

-Good.

I've got very high expectations for James's pork pie.

He's decorating that pie in exactly the same way that I did it, so I'm hoping it will look really good.

Oh!

I worked with French cuisine for...

for two or three years.

So I think I can do well in the classic test.

-Hi, Aline.

-Hi, chef.

-Where are you from?

-I'm Brazilian.

-Do you have pork pies in Brazil?

-No, we don't.

-No?

-No.

You looked a bit confused at first and I notice you've made three pies.

-To make sure one of them is going to be the right one.

-You'll pick the best one?

-Yes, I will.

Cheers.

I gave the chefs a little bowl to give them an idea of the shape I wanted this pork pie to be.

So I just hope that she realises that and she gives me the round one and not the sausage roll one.

Three minutes.

That's it. Finished. Time's up.

For my classic recipe, I asked you to cook a petit pate des Cevennes.

The pork pie should be round and dome-like, beautifully scored.

It should be crisp on the outside and lovely and cooked, but moist on the inside.

First up, Oli.

-Did you score this? Did you...?

-Yeah, I did, chef.

Because it doesn't look as if there's a nice pattern on the pie.

I like the fact that you've given me a few extra garnishes, but visually, the pie should be the star.

It should be beautifully decorated, which this is not.

The puff pastry is cooked all the way through. It's lovely and crispy, the way it should be.

I purposefully didn't give you chefs a recipe with the weights and measures.

It was up to you as chefs to judge how much fat to use. You have not used quite enough.

The filling is a bit dry.

Your salad cream is lacking mustard.

Salad cream should be quite pokey, quite strong.

Not a bad effort, though, Oli.

-But room for improvement.

-Yes, chef.

It was a bit intimidating cooking for Michel.

I was pleased with what I put up, but I just need to make sure I get it spot-on for this next round.

The pie is round, but it could be a little bit higher.

I like the crimping on the edges and it has got that touch of elegance I'm looking for.

-It looks good. I like it.

-Thank you.

The puff pastry is golden, it's flaky, it's cooked all the way through.

The stuffing is very moist. The seasoning is good.

The salad is lovely and I like the addition of the little lardons and the chestnuts.

And the salad cream is delicious. Bang on!

-You've got a bit of a smile on your face.

-Yeah, I'm happy.

-So you should be, David. Thank you.

-Thank you.

Getting praised by Michel is really good,

mainly with the sour cream because he said that's how he likes it.

Yeah, overall, really, really pleased.

I like your presentation, but there is one thing. It's not round.

-I tried to make different...

-OK.

You've decorated the little sausage roll with three little slashes,

but it's not as elaborate or as fine as I would have liked.

The presentation of the salad is really neat

and I like the fact that you've caramelised some apple as an added garnish, which wasn't asked for.

The puff pastry is cooked all the way through.

The stuffing itself, there's not enough of it.

It could have had a bit more apple and a bit more chestnuts.

The salad leaves are well seasoned, but the salad cream is not strong enough, not quite mustardy enough.

I like the way you present your food,

-but it's not what I was looking for in as much as it's the wrong shape.

-OK.

-All is not lost. Definitely.

-Thank you.

I wasn't perfect, but I'm pleased.

I think I managed to cook better and show a bit more skills than those other two rounds.

First off, James,

I saw you decorating the little pie earlier on and it brought a smile to my face

because it was scored like a pithivier,

but the mistake you made was that you scored your pie and then egg-washed, hence we can't see it.

Such a shame.

Yeah.

The pastry is brown, cooked all the way through.

The filling inside is moist. It has the right amount of apple and chestnut

and the right amount of the smoked ham as well,

so the balance of flavour and texture is just right.

I really enjoyed that. Very, very nice.

You've added little lardons and pieces of chestnut and apple to the salad, which is a welcome addition.

The salad cream is the right consistency, but it's lacking in oomph.

It's lacking in fiery, mustard flavour and acidity and sweetness.

A bit of a mixed plate here. Some highs and lows.

-Good. Thank you, James.

-Thank you, chef.

I had great comments about the pie.

He said it was almost perfect, bar the scoring, so, yeah, really pleased with the way it went.

Part two of this classic recipe test is your own interpretation of a great classic,

a dish that shows to me that you deserve to be here.

One of you will be leaving us.

One hour. Off you go.

I like what I see in James. He's got a lot of experience.

And I'm expecting a great dish.

There are risks. I've got to work really methodically.

As long as I execute everything how it's meant to be, it should carry me through OK.

-James, lots and lots of ingredients here. What are you doing?

-I'm doing a sort of roast chicken dinner.

I like the sound of that. It's definitely a classic.

It reminds me of my childhood, certainly, my mother,

trying to bring different techniques such as a ballotine.

-You're making a little ballotine with sausage meat and the leg meat.

-Yeah.

-Lots of different vegetables.

You have got a heck of a lot going on.

-It's all up to you now, James.

-Thank you, chef.

James wanted to showcase lots and lots of technique.

He's certainly got to now because he has got 101 things going on on his bench.

I just hope he gets it all done on time.

Right...

20 minutes gone already, guys.

Aline's got a lot to prove

because there were mistakes on her plate.

It did look very elegant.

But elegance on a plate is not enough to get you through. You have to back it up with everything else.

I chose my classic dish because I thought it was something I can impress with.

I will feel "yes!" if Michel compliments my dish today.

Aline, what classical dish are you cooking?

I'm doing my version of chicken chasseur

with a stuffed mushroom chicken breast wrapped in pancetta

and carbonara tortelloni to go with...

It's my own twist.

-You have got a lot of work to do.

-Yes, I just have to push myself a bit.

I can't wait to taste this.

A classic chicken chasseur is like a pot-roast chicken with a sauce.

Aline is making a ballotine and filling it with the mushrooms.

And making a tortellini stuffed with a carbonara flavour, so it's interesting.

30 minutes gone.

I like what I see in David. It shows a good palate.

I just want to see David carry on cooking as he is now.

The classic dish I've come up with has got something to do with my background.

It's seasonal, it's fresh, it's vibrant,

and hopefully, a pleasure to eat.

David, what are you cooking for me?

I'm doing a gazpacho with lobster tail, chorizo and a nicely dressed tomato salad and a bit of cucumber.

-Why this dish?

-Originally, Spanish,

so it's something that I was born sort of eating

and I really enjoy it. It's nice, fresh...

-It's good flavours.

-Yeah. Were you brought up in Spain?

-Yeah, Barcelona.

-I lived there ten years, then moved to England. I've been here 16 years.

-I'm looking forward to this.

-Thanks.

I love the idea of David's dish. He is doing a gazpacho with a difference.

I think he's actually making a clear tomato soup with lobster.

Every element of this soup is far more complex

than just a gazpacho that you would find in the back streets of Barcelona.

Oli has got issues with his nerves.

If you can't control your nerves as a chef, the cooking will suffer.

There's a lot of risk in this dish because there's a lot of elements to put on there.

The worst-case scenario would be running out of time.

Right, Oli, what have we got here?

I'm going to do you a honey-glazed duck breast with parsnips three ways,

glazed parsnips in honey, parsnip crisps, a parsnip and vanilla puree, and a red wine jus to finish it off.

-That sounds terribly sweet.

-Hopefully, the red wine jus complements it all.

-OK, so you've got a really strong red wine sauce to balance it out?

-Yeah.

-Good.

You seem to have taken a deep breath, a step back and calmed down a bit.

In the last couple of rounds, my nerves have got a bit too much.

I need to concentrate and make sure every element of this dish is spot-on, otherwise I'm going home.

-Forget the first couple of rounds.

-Yeah.

-That's better. You've got a big smile on your face. I like that.

Oli's dish really is sweet-and-sour duck.

There are really only two ingredients on the plate - parsnip and duck.

Hmm...

It is the five-minute countdown now, yes?

This could be the last time you are cooking in MasterChef.

Time's up, guys. That's it, finished. Well done.

James has made his version of a roast dinner

with pan-roasted chicken breast and chicken thigh ballotines stuffed with bacon,

fondant potato, a selection of vegetables and a chicken gravy.

You've given me a very beautiful plate of food.

I really like the little ballotine. It's well-cooked.

It's got crispy skin and that sausage meat really is nice.

The supreme is very moist. It's not been overcooked which is perfect.

The vegetables are all very well prepared. They're fresh, they're vibrant. Very good.

The jus lie or gravy, which is a thickened roasting juice, is...

..really nice. I like your cooking, James. I really do.

You've presented a very beautiful plate of food, a delicate, light touch, and some classic techniques.

-Well done, James.

-I'm chuffed, really chuffed. Thanks, chef.

He liked the presentation. He liked the flavours. I'm very happy with Michel's comments.

Oli has made honey-glazed duck breast and parsnip served three ways -

star anise-glazed parsnips,

vanilla parsnip puree

and parsnip crisps,

served with a red wine jus.

I love the parsnip crisps. Lovely and sweet and they add a texture to this dish.

Sweet things normally work very well with duck,

but your parsnip mash with vanilla is almost like a dessert.

I'm sure most people blindfolded tasting that would go, "Oh, creme brulee!"

It's just... It's bizarre.

The duck, however good it tastes, because it does taste good, it's been well seasoned, is overcooked.

Yeah.

The sauce is not reduced enough

and it's not doing the job that it should be doing

to balance this dish.

In theory, a great idea. In practice, you've made a couple of mistakes here.

I think I've done my best today. I had some good, positive comments.

Again just little errors which I need to focus on, really, a bit more.

Aline has cooked mushroom-stuffed chicken breast wrapped in pancetta

and a carbonara-filled tortellini

in a chicken chasseur sauce.

-First off, I really like this plate.

-That's good.

-Beautiful colours.

The chicken supreme, nice and moist,

crispy on the outside, salty from that ham which is really nice.

The mushroom going through it, very good.

The sauce chasseur, mushroom flavour coming through, is lacking a little bit of acidity.

A little bit more white wine in there or a dash of vinegar would have just lifted it up.

Your pasta is very tough.

It's quite chewy, not that pleasant.

The filling inside I really like,

that carbonara filling that you call it.

A lot of work has gone into this.

Nonetheless, there are elements here, especially in the pasta, which are not right.

It's a shame the pasta didn't work, but I can do better.

I hope so.

Thank you.

I always do pasta, but today, I didn't get it right.

That's a shame. That's why I feel a little bit disappointed.

David's made a gazpacho-inspired dish -

tail of lobster with chorizo

and a tomato and cucumber salad

with a clear tomato soup.

First off, David, it's really very, very pretty.

You could look at it and taste it.

-Magnificent.

-Thank you.

You call this a gazpacho.

It may have the base flavours of a gazpacho,

but it certainly isn't a gazpacho that you would recognise.

It's intense tomato water that's been seasoned with the chilli.

It's really, really rich and intense, yet light and delicate.

The lobster is beautifully cooked and the chorizo is there too.

This is high-end cooking. It is.

-Good, David. Thank you.

-Thank you, chef.

I'm really happy that he enjoyed it.

The good comments just give me a little boost.

I've really enjoyed that. Thank you, chefs. Some very good food, good cooking, good skills on show.

There were errors, however.

I'll be joined by Monica to help me make a decision

because one of you will be leaving us.

Off you go.

For me, there was one stand-out chef today and that was David.

His classic, he made a gazpacho, he called it, of lobster and cucumber.

It really was beautiful to the eye.

It showed class. He's a good chef.

David really stood out in the first round.

He presented a crab mousse, really well seasoned, lots of flavour.

My skills test was to make a savoury sabayon and he didn't use the champagne.

It was more a hollandaise than an actual sabayon, but, you know, I think he gave it a good shot.

David is a shoo-in for the next round. I want to see him cook again.

I hope I do stand out and, hopefully, I can keep doing what I'm doing.

James really impressed in the first round. It was a great ravioli dish that he made.

But the skills test, he froze.

-I've had a mental block.

-It was one of the scariest things I've seen, but then he clicked and carried on.

In my classic test, he took his pork pie and he scored it like you would a pithivier,

but then he egg-washed it and cooked it, so you couldn't see all that lovely work he did.

The idea was there, the knowledge was there. In the second round, he knew exactly what he was doing.

And he dished up a plate which had style. This was proper, really elegant cooking.

I think we've got enough there to warrant seeing him cook again.

I'd definitely like to see James cook again.

I'm pleased with what I produced.

I just want to continue progressing through the competition.

That leaves us with Aline and Oli.

Whoa!

Aline, in my classic test, made three pork pies.

She made two like a sausage roll and then a round one.

The round one wasn't cooked enough, so she served me a sausage roll one.

It had too much pastry and not enough filling, but it was beautifully presented.

And then in her classic, she made a dish of Italy meets France.

It was a plate of food that immediately was pleasing to the eye.

A couple of errors, though.

Aline is that chef that promises so much when you look at her food and it just doesn't quite deliver.

With me, actually, it's something along the same lines.

You look at the plate, it looks lovely, yet it doesn't really deliver.

And when it came to her skills test, she made a hollandaise.

The scallops she cooked were very raw on the inside.

It was not a good skills test.

If I get through today, I will practise my dish until I get it right and no mistakes next time.

Let's talk about Oli.

In the invention test, Oli made a seafood-style soup using the brown crab meat.

It was one of the most horrible things I'd seen in a long time.

On the skills test, he was so nervous, unfortunately.

He attempted to make the sabayon, but he added the champagne at the end,

so it was very raw, very sharp.

In my classic test, the pork pie lacked in seasoning and it was very, very dry.

Thankfully, in the second round, when he was cooking his classic recipe,

he was far less nervous, but there were mistakes.

The duck was overcooked,

the vanilla in the parsnip puree was never going to work and the sauce was just too thin.

I don't think I've cooked my best here, but I'd just be gutted if I went home now, to be honest.

We have to make a decision.

Do we take a young chef who's affected by nerves

and doesn't deliver to the full potential because of that?

Or do we take a chef that plates up food that has a certain style and elegance,

but doesn't deliver?

Well done, chefs.

There was some good cooking today.

But we have come to a decision.

The chef that is leaving us today is...

..Oli.

I am a bit gutted to go out so early. I don't think that I have cooked my best at all.

And there were some good chefs there.

-Well done, guys - quarter-finalists!

-Happy days.

I'm really excited and I'm really proud of myself, to be honest.

I put my heart in that dish and it paid off.

It's been a good day.

I'm really chuffed. I really want to progress now and, hopefully, I'll be there all the way to the end.

Tomorrow night, the remaining four return to impress Monica and Gregg...

I'm impressed with that, mate.

I thought you worked with bread.

We've got a bit of a monster there.

..before facing Michel Roux Junior for the first time.

Chef's hat off to you, mate.

At the end, one of them will be going home.

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